— INSIDE —
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H ealth
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Sheriff
warns on
effects of
drug policy
The Nugget
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Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Vol. XLV No. 4
Vo
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Outlaws shine on the slopes...
Water is
a complex
matter in
Sisters
Country
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Deschutes County Sheriff
Shane Nelson thinks that
Ballot Measure 110 — the
Drug Decriminalization and
Addiction Treatment Initiative
passed by voters in 2020—
sounded good in theory, but
brings negative unintended
consequences.
Measure 110 makes per-
sonal possession of a con-
trolled substance a violation
subject only to a maximum
fine of $100, and established a
drug addiction treatment and
recovery program funded in
part by the state’s marijuana
tax revenue and state prison
savings.
“I was not in favor of
Measure 110; I was sup-
portive of the idea behind
Measure 110,” Nelson told
a large gathering at Aspen
Lakes Golf Course restaurant
on Tuesday, January 18.
The setting of Sheriff
Nelson’s presentation on
Measure 110 stirred con-
troversy, because it was
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
PHOTO BY JACK TURPEN
Corbin Fredland makes a run for the Outlaws, who won both the boys and girls ski races last
weekend. See story, page 4.
See SHERIFF on page 6
See WATER on page 14
Wildfire, traffic
top citizen concerns
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Residents generally feel
very safe in Sisters both dur-
ing the day and at night and
are not worried about being a
victim of crime. Those senti-
ments were revealed in the
results of a public safety sur-
vey conducted by the City at
the end of 2021.
The two most important
issues for those responding
to the survey were wildfire
prevention (28.8 percent) and
traffic safety (28 percent).
The other issues ranked as fol-
lows: preserving livability —
19 percent; houseless/home-
less support — 10 percent;
Inside...
Note: When it comes
to the discussion of water,
or lack thereof, in Central
Oregon there is a wide range
of opinion, depending on who
is talking. Not all those opin-
ions are based on facts. Over
the next several weeks, The
Nugget will be presenting
articles addressing the many
factors related to the supply
of water in the Deschutes
River Basin, and particu-
larly within Sisters Country.
This week we9ll look at some
basics of water (hydrology)
to provide a basic under-
standing for future articles.
Residents within the
City of Sisters receive their
domestic water from the
municipal water system,
which has four wells from
which they access their
water. The Public Works
Department is responsible
for that system. Residents
environmental sustainability
— 6.4 percent; code enforce-
ment — 2.9 percent; noise
enforcement — 2.9 percent;
and “other” — 2 percent.
Most of the survey results
were similar to those from the
survey conducted in 2019.
The biggest threat at that time
(53.3 percent) was reported to
be traffic safety. At 16.1 per-
cent, the next largest threat to
public safety was viewed as
property crimes.
A total of 1,800 surveys
were distributed to residents
and businesses with City
utility accounts. The City
received 662 completed
See PUBLIC SAFETY on page 26
Habitat dedicates two new homes
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Ryan Mantell and Joyce
Johns can now lay their heads
in new homes of their very
own, thanks to the work of
Sisters Habitat for Humanity
and Heart of Oregon’s Youth
Build program.
Members of both orga-
nizations and a variety of
community members braved
a biting wind last Thursday,
January 20, to mark the dedi-
cation of the two new homes,
located in the ClearPine sub-
division at the northwest cor-
ner of Sisters.
The location represents a
dream and a prayer fulfilled
for Joyce Johns. She recalled
that she had moved from
Alaska and, “I was living in
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Joyce Johns cuts the ribbon on her new Habitat for Humanity Home in
the ClearPine subdivision.
a Jeep and completely hobo-
ing it.” She frequently walked
through ClearPine from the
Sisters Tie Trailhead to Fika
Sisters Coffeehouse, and she
dreamed of someday having
a home in the neighborhood.
She told the assemblage
that she talked to God about
it — and on Thursday she
See HOMES on page 26
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Obituaries ........................ 8 Entertainment .................13 Focus on Health ..........18-25 Classifieds ..................27-28
Meetings .......................... 3 Announcements ...............12 Fun & Games ....................14 Crossword ...................... 26 Real Estate ................ 28-32